Method of restoring worn railway-switch points.



H. ELLIOT.

METHOD OP RESTORTNG WORN RAILWAY SWITCH POINTS.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR. 2, 1914.

T1 t www M .s n .S mm. t 1, Smc N .o m HLW Ou A L HENRY ELLIOT, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

METHOD OF BESTURING WORN RAILWAYSWITCH POINTS.

Specioation of Letters Patent.

Patented May 19, 1914.

Application led March 2, 1914. Serial No. 821,923.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY ELLIOT, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Reston ing IVorn Railway-Switch Point-s, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specication.

My invention relates to a method involving a series of steps whereby railway switch points7 when they become worn, may be restored to condition for further service, instead of being discarded and replaced by new switch points, the invention having for its object to provide a method that results in the restored switch point being of the same dimensions as the original point including a terminal corresponding exactly to the terminal end of the original switch point.

It is a fact well known that railway switch points are subjected to wear more particularly at their terminal or tapered ends and at their butts or heel ends, the wear at the terminal or tapered ends being especially great, due to the small amount of stock at such ends and the severe action thereon by the wheels of the railway rolling stock, which ride against and on the switch points. The wear of the switch points at their heel ends is more rapid than throughw out the central portion of the points, due to the presence of the joints at junctions of such heel ends and the adjoining railway rails causing the wheels of the railway rolling stock to pound or hammer theheel portions of the switch points to their serious detriment.

In carrying out my method of restoring a worn railway switch point, I first completely remove the worn portion or portions of the switch point, the worn tapered terminal end portion and also the worn heel end portion being removed, if both are inaterially worn, and the worn tapered terminal end portion only being removed if the heel end is not badly worn. The portion or portions of the worn switch point are removed by cutting the switch point trans versely, there being left a remaining intermediate section, which, not being so worn as to render it unserviceable, I use in the production of a restored switch point. I then to produce a restored switch point of the .proper length, add to the old intermediate a supplemental section of railroad rail, this supplemental section being fastened or secured in any suitable manner to the. intermediate section. I then finish the entire switch point comprising the retained old section and the new section of rail to render the entire switch point of the same shape and taper' as was present in the original switch point. In so doing I acquire a restored switch point corresponding throughout to the original switch point.

Figure I is a top or plan view of a worn switch point. Fig. II is a View similar to Fig. I showing the worn end portions re moved from the intermediate portion of the switch point. Fig. III is a plan view of the intermediate portion of the switch point. Fig. IV is a top or plan view of the restored switch point completed by the con nection to the intermediate section shown in Fig. III of a section of railroad rail similar to the heel end of said section, these parts being finished to provide a switch point corresponding in the shape and proportions to the shape and proportions of the original switch point when new. Fig. V is a side elevation of the restored switch point. Fig. VI is a vertical section taken on line VI-VI, Fig. IV. F VII is a side elevation illustrating a modification. In carrying out the preferred form of my method I first remove one or both worn ends of the old switch point, preferably removing both the forward and heel Vportions as shown in Fig. II, thereby dividing the worn rail into an intermediate section l which is to be retained and end sections 2 and 3 to be discarded. The next step in the restoration of the switch point consists in adding a section 4 of railroad rail, similar to that from which the original switch point was made, to render the switch point of the same length as the.original switch point. This section 4 of railroad rail is fastened or secured in any suitable manner to the switch point section l, the means for the connection of the sections to each other being, for example, fish plates 5 and (i secured by rivets or bolts 8, as shown in Figs. IV to VI, inclusive, or if preferred the sections 1 and 4 may be welded to each other to provide a solid junction as indicated by dotted line 7 in Fig. VII. After joining the sections l and 4 I finish the switch point by dressing said sections down to the necessary degree to give the restored switch point the same shape as that which was present in the original switch point. This dressing down may be accomplished, for example, in a planer, and when completed the switch point corresponds in all particulars to the original switch point in so far as configuration and dimensions are concerned. his is due to the section of railroad rail Li used being of a length equal to the length of the discarded portions of the worn switch point and the parts of the restored switch point being finished in conformity to the original switch point when the latter was first made.

I claim l. The method of restoring a worn rail- Way switch point, which consists in removing the worn tapered terminal portion of the switch point, joining to the rear end of the remaining section of the switch point `the worn heel portion of the switch point,

joining to the rear end of the remaining section of the switch point a section of railroad rail for compensation of the shortening of the switch point by the removal of' the worn portions, and shaping said joined sections in conformity to the shape of the original switch point.

HENRY ELLIOT.

In the presence of- E. K. CLARK, A. J. M. MOCAULEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

